| Mezen Russian:Мезень | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The river basin of the Mezen | |
| Location | |
| Country | Russia |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Mezen Bay,White Sea |
• coordinates | 65°59′10″N44°03′45″E / 65.98611°N 44.06250°E /65.98611; 44.06250 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 966 km (600 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 78,000 square kilometres (30,000 sq mi)[1] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 886 cubic metres per second (31,300 cu ft/s)[1] |
TheMezen (Russian:Мезень;Komi:Мозын,Mozyn) is a river inUdorsky District of theKomi Republic and inLeshukonsky andMezensky Districts ofArkhangelsk Oblast inRussia. Its mouth is located in theMezen Bay of theWhite Sea. Mezen is one of the biggest rivers of European Russia. It is 966 kilometres (600 mi) long, and the area of its basin 78,000 square kilometres (30,000 sq mi). The principaltributaries of the Mezen are theBolshaya Loptyuga (left), thePyssa (left), theMezenskaya Pizhma (right), theSula (right), theKyma (right), theVashka (left), thePyoza (right), and theKimzha (left).
The river basin of the Mezen comprises vast areas in the east and north-east of Arkhangelsk Oblast and in the west of the Komi Republic. The town ofMezen, theurban type settlements ofUsogorsk andKamenka, as well as the administrative center of Udorsky District, theselo ofKoslan all are located on the banks of the Mezen. The administrative center of Leshukonsky District, the selo ofLeshukonskoye, is located on the Vashka River several kilometers upstream from the confluence of the Vashka and the Mezen and is connected with the right bank of the Mezen by a ferry crossing.
The source of the Mezen is in theTiman Ridge in the Komi Republic, west of the northernUral Mountains. It flows first south-west, then sharply turns roughly in the north-western direction. The upper course of the Mezen runs through the hilly landscape. The Mezen flows into the Mezen Bay of the White Sea near the town of Mezen, right below theArctic Circle. Near its mouth, the Pyoza River enters from the east.
The Mezen is navigable below the selo of Koslan, however, there is no regular passenger navigation except for ferry crossings.
The area was populated byFinnic peoples and then colonized by theNovgorod Republic. In the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached theWhite Sea. The Mezen was used by Novgorod merchants as the trading route to the basin of thePechora which was attractive because of the fur. From the Northern Dvina, they went upstream thePinega and took the boats by land to theKuloy. The boats then were taken from the Kuloy to the Mezen.[2] The river route continued east up the Pyoza, portage, and down theTsilma to the Pechora.
Another route went from the Northern Dvina upstream thePukshenga, then moved to thePokshenga and downstream to the Pinega. From the Pinega, the merchants used theYozhuga, theZyryanskaya Vashka, and theVashka to get to the Mezen.[2]
After the fall of Novgorod, the area became a part of theGrand Duchy of Moscow. The first permanent Russian settlements on the Mezen River are mentioned during the 16th century:Yuroma (1513) andKoynas (1554).[3] The middle course of the Mezen, approximately the current area ofLeshukonsky District, was where Russian andKomi cultures mixed the most. In the lower course of the Mezen, currentlyMezensky District, Russians dominated, whereas in the upper course, currentlyUdorsky District, Komi dominated.[4]
